Getting the perfect teeth is seemingly a right of passage in the world of influencers. Internet stars love it Jeffrey Starr, Tana Mongeauand Gigi Gorgeous They all had dramatic smile changes once their careers took off.
Now, there is a trend of smaller scale influencers sharing their experiences Flying abroad to get smile makeovers of theirs, showing off their shaved ‘shark teeth’ before revealing what they call ‘veneers’ to their fans.
Dentists urge young people to do their research before considering such invasive dentistry. As a dentist explained, this is not a standard preparation for veneers but for crowns, which are not recommended for young people.
“These are not veneer concoctions,” Dr Emi Mawson, a dentist in the English county of Cornwall, told her 27,700 followers on TikTok as she critiqued one of her many “veneer” vlogs. “These are preparations for the crown, and there is a great difference.”
Not knowing this difference could cost these influencers their smiles early in life, causing irreparable damage that could mean they need dentures by their 40s.
There is a significant difference between veneers and crowns, and many influencers get it wrong
While the two terms are used interchangeably by some influencers, there are key differences between veneers and crowns.
“When you get veneers, most of your tooth is still there, just a little shaved off.” Dr. Zainab Mackie, a Detroit dentist, said on TikTok. “When you get crowns your teeth are shaved into pegs.”
Most veneers need the front of the tooth shaved half a millimeter to prepare the tooth for a custom porcelain or composite resin coating. Some veneers actually they don’t need any preparation.
Crowns require 2 millimeters or more of enamel that needs to be shaved off on the pegs seen in many tooth transformation TikToks. They are usually performed on decayed, broken teeth.
Dr Shaadi Manouchehri, a dentist from London, he told his 94,600 TikTok followers that the heavy crown preparation could endanger the tooth’s nerve, so dentists usually don’t recommend it for healthy teeth.
“This is only done if there were cavities to remove or the teeth were already broken,” Mackie said.
Aggressive crown preparation at a young age could cause permanent damage to your teeth, requiring multiple replacements down the line, root canals, and eventually losing those teeth altogether.
“She’ll have dentures until she’s 40” Manouheri he said commenting on a young influencer’s “veneer vlog” video on TikTok.
“It will be about $20,000 every 10 years”
Both crowns and veneers are semi-permanentthat is, it will need to be replaced every 10 to 15 years depending on the type and characteristics of your teeth.
According Consumer’s Guide to Dentistry, veneers cost $250 to $1,500 per tooth on average. Crowns cost an average of $1,000 to $3,500 per tooth.
“That’s going to be about $20,000 every 10 years, not to mention when a cavity appears.” Dr. Ben Winters, an orthodontist from Arkansas, he said on a TikTok.
In addition to being more expensive on average, crowns come at the cost of the precious layers of enamel that protect your teeth. This step is unavoidable with crowns, even if you fly abroad to save money on them.
“Once your teeth are on the stump, there’s no going back,” Mawson told her followers on TikTok.
